Win lucrative follow-up orders with top service

Everyday sales. The salesperson intensively courts the new customer. He does everything for the "dear customer. But as soon as the contract is signed and sealed, his interest wanes. Suddenly, everything is "not so easy" and "costs extra. The customer also notices this. That's why he inwardly distances himself from the seller and his company. And he is correspondingly quick to switch suppliers if another provider makes him an attractive offer - even if he is satisfied with the (core) product.

One reason for this is that many salespeople are not sufficiently aware that complex (technical) capital goods can no longer be sold today without a certain level of service before and after the sale; moreover, customers always have expectations that go beyond the core product when they make their purchase. After all, what good is the best machine or computer system if the manufacturer's service technicians are unreachable for days in the event of a defect? Not much. That's why (after-sales) service is part of the purchased product for most customers. So they naturally expect it to be provided as requested.

The free service does not exist

How much service the promised service package contains from the customer's point of view depends, among other things, on whether the provider presents itself as a "box pusher" or a "full-service provider"; furthermore, on whether it is located in the low or high price range. Consequently, each company must decide for itself how much service it offers its customers. However, if a service promise has been made, then the corresponding services must be provided. So they must also be taken into account in the price calculation, because contrary to what some customers expect, there is no such thing as free service. Either it is already included in the price of the core product or it will be charged at a later date.

Many salespeople are also not sufficiently aware that when their company sells them a computer or machine system, for example, it is entering into a partnership, so to speak, with its customers for the life of the system. They consider their job to be over when the order is delivered. For the customer, however, the partnership is just beginning. For only when the system meets his expectations in day-to-day operation will he be satisfied with his investment. And only then does he gradually develop an emotional bond with the supplier in addition to the technical one. Customer loyalty therefore turns into customer loyalty. This means that the customer's employees try to maintain the relationship with the supplier even if another supplier makes them an apparently more favorable offer, because they know: Many services provided by our current supplier cannot be taken for granted. Therefore, a change of supplier would be associated with uncertainty and additional work.

Sales and service must cooperate

For such customer loyalty to develop, sales and service must cooperate closely. This is a weak point for many companies. For example, salespeople often make (service) promises to customers that the technicians cannot fulfill. Conversely, service technicians often unsettle customers in their purchasing decisions rather than confirming them. For example, by saying to the customer during the installation of the machine: "Who sold you that? Didn't anyone tell you that....". To avoid such mishaps, service and sales should cooperate as early as the sales phase - for example, by agreeing on what is possible when the customer's requirements are available. Both sides learn from such cooperation. It also creates the conditions for reliably meeting customer expectations.

In day-to-day sales, it also proves useful time and again for experienced service technicians to accompany the sales staff to the final sales meetings. After all, they iron out the glitches and problems in everyday work. So it is easier for the customer to decide to buy if he knows the service technicians and has a competent impression of them. Good contact between sales and service is also necessary because the service technicians are usually the first to register where the customer might have problems in the foreseeable future, as well as where the customer might have further needs. If this information reaches the salesperson, he can distinguish himself as a partner who thinks along with the customer and generate follow-up orders.

However, this presupposes that the areas value each other's work. Such a relationship between service and sales should be specifically promoted by the company or sales management - for example, through regular joint meetings. They should also define rules for cooperation - for example, that all major offers from Sales are checked again by Service.

Author

Peter Schreiber is the owner of the training and consulting company Peter Schreiber & Partner in Ilsfeld, Germany, which specializes in the sale of industrial goods and services. www.schreiber-training.de